what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Grilled Seitan, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart

Dinner 5/31

Grilled Seitan

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Grilled Asparagus

Dessert

Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart

The grilled seitan was similar to the Hezbollah Tofu version we've made in the past -- paired this time with the roasted fingerling potatoes (olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, 450F, 45 minutes) and asparagus (blanched 3 minutes, drained, shocked in ice water, then marinated with olive oil, tamari and pepper, finally grilled for 10 minutes). Liz then made a quick mushroom gravy (shallots, roux, veg stock, tamari, pepper, mushrooms).

The Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart was adapted from Good Housekeeping(!), and was simply delicious -- the crust, the strawberries, the soy cream cheese (and sour creme) plus the Soyatoo whipped cream (whipped together in the mixer, much better than the stuff from the pressurized canister).

But mostly the strawberries. ;)

Monday, May 26, 2008

Tofu Piccata, Fava Beans, Pea Soup

Dinner 5/26

Tofu Piccata

Fava Beans

Pea Soup

A springtime meal, with Fava Beans, English Peas and Tofu Piccata.

The piccata, served over fettuccine, is one of favorites, adapted from Candle Cafe cookbook, subbing for seitan. The capers really make this dish shine...

The soup is adapted from Jean-Georges Vongerichten's "Cooking At Home with a Four-Star Chef" -- the broth uses the shucked pea pods as an additional flavor enhancer, and they do a great job of infusing the broth with that essence of springtime.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Cookout: Burgers, Potato Salad and Grilled Corn

Dinner 5/25

Burgers
(Bulgur recipe from Gourmet)

Potato Salad

Grilled Corn

We decided to make the burgers from Gourmet (subbing out vegenaise). They were very tasty, but as with most veggie burger recipes, delicate -- i.e. almost impossible to flip in one piece. Chilling (or even freezing) them ahead of time helps, but you need to grill them quickly. In this instance a grill pan is your friend, otherwise you'll be dropping chunks of these between the grates in the grill...

The potato salad is from James Peterson's "Vegetables" (1998) -- sherry vinegar, vegenaise, cornichons, celery, parsley, etc. -- always a solid recipe.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Spicy Basil Tofu, Jasmine Rice, Coconut Milk and Mushroom Soup, Deep-Fried Tofu Triangles

Dinner 5/24

Spicy Basil Tofu

Jasmine Rice

Deep-Fried Tofu Triangles

Coconut Milk and Mushroom Soup

The deep-fried tofu triangles were coated with gin, tamari, pepper and finally dredged in cornstarch before being put in 385F peanut oil for 3-4 minutes. They'll puff up quite a bit in the oil, but will shrink noticeably afterwards. The dipping sauce is tamari, agave, sriracha and lime juice.

The soup was adapted from a recipe by Karen McNeil in "Wine Food and Friends" -- very Southeast Asian.

The main course was our take of the dish we would get at Lemongrass in Cleveland Heights -- extremely spicy and fragrant from the Thai chiles and basil with baby corns added for our daughter who is disappointed if they're not included. ;)

Friday, May 23, 2008

VegiTerranean

VegiTerranean 5/23

We went out for dinner again to VegiTerranean and had a fabulous time, possibly the best vegan restaurant meal we've eaten. The trick is to go off the menu and head right for the specials, as the dishes really shine creatively (and often do not contain the stunt meat). Kudos to Chef Scot Jones and his crew!

We started with a Pizza (thin crust, w/marinara, olives, artichokes) and Rosemary Fries (no pics, sorry)

For dinner the kids each had the appetizer special of Morel Mushrooms, Biscuits and Gravy, with some corn and pearl onions thrown in for good measure. It was large enough to be served as an entree for them. Our son loves morels and after having them Wednesday, he jumped on the chance to eat them again. They were both very happy with their choices.

Liz had the polenta with grilled vegetables (eggplant, peppers, onions, asparagus) and a red pepper coulis.

I had the Risotto Cakes and Roasted Red and Yellow Peppers on bed of Spinach -- great flavors and a huge portion!

The (huge) cupcake was a tad dry -- but it's definitely a two person dessert.

The mousse flavor was spot on, but just a wee bit grainy with the mouthfeel...

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Morel Mushrooms, Lentils and Smoked Tofu Lettuce Cups

Dinner 5/21

Morel Mushrooms, Lentils and Smoked Tofu Lettuce Cups

The night after a wine tasting/pairing dinner we usually eat leftovers -- in this case lentils and lettuce cups to which we added some twice-fried smoked tofu and morels we scored at Whole Foods...

mmm... morels

Originally, the French lentils were pressure cooked in veg stock, along with some herbes de provence and an onion studded with two cloves -- if you don't have a pressure cooker, just cook them in veg broth with the onion/cloves for 45 minutes or until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The morels were cut in half and briefly rinsed, as "stuff" likes to hide in the folds of the mushrooms. Then they were pan-fried with a little olive oil until cooked through, and seasoned with a little tamari and pepper.

The tofu was portioned into eight rectangular cutlets and smoked (in a stove top smoker box) with alder wood for 20-25 minutes. Then they were wok-fried on med-high heat with canola oil until golden, Then turn the heat down to low, and splash with 1 tbs. of tamari and fry for another 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally to coat the tofu with the tamari. Remove to a plate and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut the tofu diagonally into strips, return it to the wok with 1 tsp. of oil and stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes to crisp up the freshly cut sides -- and if you like another 1 tsp. of tamari.

Rinse and drain the lettuce, trim any thick stem pieces and place in a bowl. Add the lentils and tofu, top with morels.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tony Coturri Wine Tasting @ Riverside Wine and Imports, Kent, Ohio

Tony Coturri Wine Tasting 5/20

We first met Tony in 1999 and have subsequently done many tasting/pairing dinners for his wines whenever he's in town at Riverside Wine and Imports in Kent, Ohio. His unfiltered/unfined wines are some of the most dynamic wines around -- here's the menu...

1. Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma Valley 2007 / Cannellini Bean Salad in Boston Bibb Lettuce Cups

2. Rose North Coast 2007 / Ravioli (potato, edamame and corn) en Brodo

3. Albarello North Coast 2006 / Lentil and Soyrizo Spoons

4. Merlot Sonoma Mountain, Maclise Vineyard 2005 / Tofu Marsala en Papillote

Then we switched to the buffet table with Lasagna and Fusilli and Seitan Sausages
for the next four wines.

5. Sangiovese Sonoma Valley, Freiberg Vineyard 2004
6. Syrah Sonoma Valley, Crane Vineyard 2005
7. Cabernet Sauvignon Mendocino County, Testa Vineyard 2005
8. Zinfandel Sonoma Valley, Chauvet Vineyard East Block 2005

For the last two wines, we served Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (sadly, no pictures)

9. Zinfandel Sonoma Valley, Freiberg Vineyard 2004
10. Zinfandel Sonoma Mountain, Estate 2005

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Red Curry Tofu with Lotus Root Chips

Dinner 5/13

Red Curry Tofu with Lotus Root Chips

playing around with this dish again -- topping the rice balls and oolong tea smoked tofu with my daughters favorite snack food -- lotus root chips.

Monday, May 12, 2008

BBQ Tofu, Baked Potato, Grilled Asparagus

Dinner 5/12

BBQ Tofu

Baked Potato

Grilled Asparagus

After a wine tasting gig there's usually some leftovers, in this case, the BBQ sauce (recipe). Well, somebody has to eat it -- it might as well be us... ;)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Tofu with Garlic Sauce, Jasmine Rice, Papaya Salad with Seitan

Dinner 5/11

Tofu with Garlic Sauce

Jasmine Rice

Papaya Salad with Seitan

I know I said back in January that there'd be no more stir-fry pictures, but this is different enough to qualify. The garlic sauce is modeled after the one we used to eat a Lemongrass in the days when we would actually leave the house to eat. ;)

The sauce is tamari, water, thai chiles, ginger, agave and the key ingredient -- add as much garlic as you think you would need... and then double it. Trust me. Thickened with a cornstarch slurry.

The papaya and seitan salad is a nice refreshing combo with a rice wine vinaigrette and some additional diced thai chiles for heat.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Carol Shelton Wine Tasting @ Riverside Wine and Imports

Carol Shelton Wine Tasting 5/10

Famed California Zinfandel winemaker Carol Shelton made an early Mother's Day visit to sunny Kent, OH and here's some of the food we made for the tasting...

Tofu Salad Sandwiches

Olive Tea Sandwiches

BBQ Lollipops

Mini-Burgers

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberries

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Pasta Genovese

Dinner 5/08

Pasta Genovese

"Everything's Gone Green"

Adapted from Jamie Oliver. Simple one pot cooking -- boil the fusilli pasta, yukon gold potatoes, green beans together and finish with your favorite pesto recipe.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Raw Food Wednesday: Jerk Pineapple, Papaya and Mango

Raw Food Wednesday 5/07

Jerk Pineapple, Papaya and Mango

Spiral Cut Daikon, Avocado and Lime Zest on a bed of Napa Cabbage

We liked the jerk sauce so much from last night that we decided to make a raw version and put over some tropical fruit...

The pineapple, papya and mango were portioned into roughly 2" X 2" by 3/8" slabs, coated with jerk sauce, and put into the dehydrator -- 6 hours @ 105F.

The jerk sauce was ground allspice, thyme, black pepper, garlic, ginger, scallion, cilantro, habanero pepper, olive oil and lime juice all pureed together and -- wow! -- it was spicy!

The daikon, avocado, napa cabbage were there to counteract the heat -- which they did... to a point. ;)

The general consensus was the pineapple came out the best, followed closely by the papaya. The mango wasn't great to start with and didn't improve much in the interim.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Jerk Tofu, Rice and Tostones in Lettuce Cups

Dinner 5/06

Jerk Tofu in Lettuce Cups

Jasmine Rice

Tostones

Another recipe that needs another go 'round before it's ready -- but it's basically alder smoked tofu that's baked with a sauce made of a puree of allspice, habenero, cumin, vinegar, cilantro, scallion onions, olive oil. Watch the habenero peppers -- even a half of a pepper is extremely spicy!

It takes about 20-25 minutes to bake in a 375F oven. Served with the tostones in a lettuce cup with jasmine rice.

For the tostones the plantains are cut into 1" sections and deep-fried for a couple of minutes at 375F until they start to show some color -- then they're removed and drained. Next, place the plantains upright on a cutting board and smash them flat with the bottom of a heavy pan. Then they go back into the deep-fryer for another minute or so until golden brown and delicious. Served with a quick garlic, olive oil, vinegar, cilantro and salt puree.

Not only are they tasty but they're also great stress reducers ;)

Monday, May 05, 2008

Enchiladas stuffed with Teese, Onions and Smoked Tofu

Dinner 5/05

Enchiladas stuffed with Teese, Onions and Smoked Tofu.

For Cinco de Mayo -- The tofu was smoked with hickory and rolled inside the shells (lightly fried, then dipped in a tomato and ancho chile sauce) along with onions and a bit of Teese and then baked to melt the soy cheese.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Paella, Shish Kabobs

Dinner 5/03

Paella

Shish Kabobs

Any excuse to break out the paella pan ;)

The recipe is still in workshop mode, so the next time we make it there will be something to link to -- basically it's smoked seitan chorizo sausages, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, smoked paprika, green beans, veg stock and basmati rice.

There's two types of kabobs -- all Baby Eggplants and a tofu/red bell pepper, onion, cherry tomato.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Raw Food Wednesday: Eggplant Ravioli, Asparagus Tips, Salad with Sliced Asparagus and Roma Tomatoes

Raw Food Wednesday 4/30

Eggplant Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce
(recipe below)

Asparagus Tips

Salad with Sliced Asparagus and Roma Tomatoes

The asparagus have been outstanding lately, and tonight was no exception -- the tips were marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and nama shoyu and dehydrated for about an hour at 105F. The rest of the asparagus stalks were sliced on the bias, very thinly, and marinated as well with olive oil, lemon juice and nama shoyu, but not dehydrated. They were sprinkled on the salad at the very end.

You've seen the eggplant ravioli before, but I finally remembered to take a shot of the mandoline -- mind the blades!

Eggplant Ravioli

1 small globe eggplant, peeled
sea salt

Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/8" thick rounds on the mandoline -- the top half has less seeds, but is usually smaller in diameter -- about 1 inch down from the top is the sweet spot...

You'll need about 16 pieces at the eggplant, but a couple extra pieces for back-up isn't a bad idea. This will only use about 2-3 inches of the eggplant, so you might want to think about a second recipe and using it in the next day or so.

Salt the eggplant for about 30 minutes to break down the cell walls. Rinse the salt off of the eggplant, pat dry, and place it in a large non-reactive dish in a single layer if possible (overlapping slightly is fine).

marinade

1 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. garlic, minced

Whisk together all of the ingredients and pour over the eggplant. We like to put a smaller non-reactive dish on top to weigh it down slightly. Marinate for 1 hour, flipping the eggplant over half way through.

filling

1 cup walnut
2 tbs. parsley chopped
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. cayenne
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs. nama shoyu
1 tbs. olive oil

While the eggplant is marinating, add all of the ingredients into the vita-mix and pulse until the walnuts have broken down into very small pieces and have begun to stick together. Check the seasoning and try to not eat all of the filling at this moment. ;)

assembly

Remove the eggplant slices and pat dry. Lay an eggplant round in front of you and add about 1-2 tsp. of the filling in the center, being careful to not overfill. Fold the top of the eggplant over the filling and press down firmly on the edges to seal the ravioli.

Add the ravioli to the dehydrator tray and process about 6-7 hours at 105F -- flipping about halfway through. The edges should be crisp, but the filling moist inside...

Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup cashews, soaked
1/2 cup pine nuts, soaked
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbs. of lemon juice
water
sea salt to taste

Soak the nuts in water for an hour. Drain and add to the vita mix with the garlic and lemon juice. Add just enough water to process the nuts until they're very smooth. Check for salt. Put the sauce in a a squeeze bottle and add to the ravioli.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Eggplant Parmesan Panini, Grilled White Asparagus Wrapped in Seitan, Broccoli Rabe

Dinner 4/29

Eggplant Parmesan Panini

Grilled White Asparagus Wrapped in Seitan

Broccoli Rabe

I've been jonesin' for panini, so we cranked out some eggplant parmesan and added some tomato sauce, basil and Teese along with our trusty cast-iron grill pan and got to work...

Soy margarine is spread on the bread and the Eggplant Parmesan pieces are placed on top in the grill pan.

Add the tomato sauce (not too much as it will ooze out).

Add some basil.

Add the Teese.

Add the top piece of bread, and place a second cast-iron pan on top of the bread to weigh it down (there were two other panini in the pan added later, not shown). Rotate 90° degrees halfway through the cooking, flip and repeat.

Sexy grill marks... Oo-er Missus!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Seitan Ribs with Black Vinegar Sauce, Jasmine Rice, Baby Bok Choy with Sesame Seeds

Dinner 4/28

Seitan Ribs with Black Vinegar Sauce

Jasmine Rice

Baby Bok Choy with Sesame Seeds

The seitan ribs are adapted from Gourmet (May 2008, p. 110), ~~which doesn't seem to be online at the moment.~~ (thanks Erica!)

The basic concept is to take your own home made seitan (but not pounding it out as thin), and cut it into roughly 3/4" wide x 1/2" thick x 4" long strips, coat with cornstarch and deep-fry for 4-5 minutes. Then slowly braise the seitan in a mixture of shallot, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sherry, veg stock, black vinegar, tamari. The end result was a fantastic explosion of flavor and texture that was as close to take-out food as we have ever made at home. Pair it with a big unfiltered Zinfandel for the full effect...

The baby bok choy were split in half, rinsed, and steamed for 10 minutes. Then they were pan-fried in canola oil until starting to show some color. At the end they were splashed with a with a little tamari and toasted sesame oil, plated and topped with sesame seeds.

Butchering Tofu

Portioning tofu into cutlets, strips and cubes.

This was a test video, to see what kind of quality the Canon s400 would crank out...

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Asparagus Wrapped in Seitan with Grilled Ramps

Dinner 4/26

Asparagus Wrapped in Seitan

Grilled Ramps

While surfing through the channels last week, we came upon Rachael Ray. I gather she's much like the British Empire, the sun never sets on RR on TV -- somewhere one of her shows or commercials are on. She was making a batch of asparagus which had been blanched, marinated and wrapped in prosciutto, which was then cooked on a grill pan.

We've experimented with asparagus in the past (wrapped in phyllo, wrapped in crepes, wrapped with roasted red pepper, wrapped in omelets).

So, tonight we made another batch of seitan, pounded it out thinly and lightly pan-fried it. Then wrapped the seitan around blanched, marinated asparagus.

The seitan was secured with twine and grilled, turning every couple of minutes -- this also gives the asparagus a nice color.

Plated, in this shot, with the grilled ramps holding the package together after snipping off the twine...

Friday, April 25, 2008

Roasted Tofu with a Miso Glaze, Jasmine Rice, Lettuce Cups, Gyoza, Lotus Root Chips

Dinner 4/25

Roasted Tofu with a Miso Glaze

Jasmine Rice

Boston Bibb Lettuce Cups

Gyoza
(stuffed with Spinach and Water Chestnuts)

Lotus Root Chips

Adapted from a Wolfgang Puck recipe, just sub tofu for the fish, and pour all of the marinade over the tofu in the roasting pan (he did it in the episode, but not in the recipe) and cook for a little longer (about 15-17 minutes) until the top of the tofu starts to show some darker color.

My daughter was very happy to see the lotus root, it's (surprisingly) one of her favorite foods. Go figure ;)